Over the last few weeks I have had bees falling into the grass with very extended abdomens. In the grass they appear to try and manipulate their abdomens with their rear legs as if trying to move something within. They appear distressed and die within a few hours and now what started as a few bees appears to be happening in increasing numbers. I read in Storch's 'At the Hive Entrance' about what he terms the 'May sickness'. He refers to defective insultation as promoting development of the disease. Does anyone think this is what I am observing or is it something else? I was not aware I had defective insultation in my Warre Hive, but I guess we have had a pretty cold spring (SE UK).

Assuming you mean defective insulation, I doubt this is the problem, especially with a Warre quilt. My concern would be poisoning. Place a sheet of cardboard on the grass below the hive entrance so that you can better monitor their number and behaviour. Do you have agricultural crops locally that have been sprayed? Are you seeing any faeces on the front of the hive... yellow streaks?
Just a thought, but these aren't drones are they.... when you say extended abdomens, that makes me wonder? Apologies if that is a stupid suggestion, but it is difficult to know people's level of experience and a beginner may certainly describe a drone as having an extended abdomen, I would think. Could it be that your girls are already evicting drones?
Can you post a photo of them?

Just to follow up on where I think Barbara was going with 'Are you seeing any faeces on the front of the hive... yellow streaks', I think I've seen what you're describing before, and put it down to Nosema.

You said extended, I would describe what I saw as swollen abdomens. I thought they might be virgin queens on the ground outside the hive at first. I'd left a sheet of plastic underneath a hive floor all winter and this had meant the floor had stayed very damp. That was my guess as to why this hive got Nosema. They survived fine though once I removed the plastic.

Maybe your hive is a bit wet for some reason, that is, if it is Nosema?

We are some way from crops to see if spraying has taken place, but there is no faeces at the entrance. Hive appears dry.

Barbara is right to ask about our experience as this is our first full season. My wife had also asked whether they were drones and looking again they do appear to be so. We did have a swarm a few weeks back, but it did not occur to me that it was drones being ejected this early in the summer.

Whilst I will not be complacent given the second contribution to my question, it reminds me that I should look for the simple answer rather than jump to a more complex one.

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Quality Top Bar Hives by Andrew Vidler

Conserving wild bees

Research suggests that bumble bee boxes have a very low success rate in actually attracting bees into them. We find that if you create an environment where first of all you can attract mice inside, such as a pile of stones, a drystone wall, paving slabs with intentionally made cavities underneath, this will increase the success rate.

Most bumble bee species need a dry space about the size a football, with a narrow entrance tunnel approximately 2cm in diameter and 20 cm long. Most species nest underground along the base of a linear feature such as a hedge or wall. Sites need to be sheltered and out of direct sunlight.